The Long Build with Sara Lawhead
Episode 11 of the Outdoor Industry Executive Voices podcast, hosted by Highline Outdoor Group | Tony O'Neill, titled "The Long Build with Sara Lawhead" was published on March 25, 2026 and runs 65 minutes.
March 25, 2026 ·65m · Outdoor Industry Executive Voices
Summary
Sara Lawhead has spent her career building things. Teams, products, brands, strategies. She has worked inside large public companies, navigated private equity environments, and managed multiple brands at a pace that left little room to think. Now she is leading Thacker NYC, a founder-led brand going after a consumer the outdoor industry has largely ignored."We think of life as a sport. No one is really talking to the everyday person. The outdoor industry tends to go after the core, the hardcore, the top of the mountain. But it is the everyday people that still want to get outside, still want to look the part. That is a big, unmet opportunity."That shift, from managing six brands and fifty-plus products a year to building one brand with intention, is the backdrop for this conversation.We cover what the outdoor market actually looks like right now, from trade show floors to retailer meetings. We get into tariffs and supply chain, and how the brands that came out ahead were the ones that started diversifying manufacturing before the pressure hit.One of the more interesting threads is pattern recognition across categories, and what happens when private equity acquires founder-led brands."Once that special sauce, once that DNA has really left the business, it gets harder and harder to continue that passion and excitement. The DNA isn't there anymore. It gets sucked out."Sara has a clear point of view on where brands lose the thread, how innovation is misunderstood, and what real partnership with specialty retail actually requires. She also talks about the BIRDS communication framework, a tool she uses with every team she joins."As a leader, you have to have the awareness of who you are talking to and how they receive information. The more you understand who you are talking to and how they operate, the better the business will go. Once you know it, you actually have to do it. That is the second battle."We close on what Sara would tell someone early in their career."Figure out what you are good at. Not what you think is cool, not what everybody else is telling you to do. Chase that."A conversation about building something real, reading the market honestly, and knowing when to move and when to wait.Chapters:00:00 Introduction02:07 Founder Led Pace Shift04:04 Trade Shows And Market Signals06:15 Life As a Sport08:41 People-first Building Blocks11:02 DIY Mindset No Roadmap12:33 Athlete Pressure Lessons15:32 Compassionate Leadership Birds18:42 Top to Top Retail Strategy20:47 Tariffs and Supply Diversification23:36 Pattern Recognition In Categories26:52 Winning Retailer Confidence29:28 Partnership with Specialty Retail30:25 Staying True to Brand31:29 Compromise Without Dilution33:10 Redefining Innovation34:22 Colorways That Sell35:21 Decide and Ship37:16 Pleasant Persistence39:58 Follow Up Early40:48 Relationships Beat Automation41:28 Hiring a Sales Agency42:36 Conviction Without Playbook47:13 Slow Build Strategy49:45 Healthier Leadership Mindset51:53 Entrepreneurship and Expansion52:35 Fashion Meets Function57:25 Books That Shape Focus59:22 Advice for Year Two01:02:19 Go Until Stopped01:03:24 A Good Life Vision
Episode Description
Sara Lawhead has spent her career building things. Teams, products, brands, strategies. She has worked inside large public companies, navigated private equity environments, and managed multiple brands at a pace that left little room to think. Now she is leading Thacker NYC, a founder-led brand going after a consumer the outdoor industry has largely ignored.
"We think of life as a sport. No one is really talking to the everyday person. The outdoor industry tends to go after the core, the hardcore, the top of the mountain. But it is the everyday people that still want to get outside, still want to look the part. That is a big, unmet opportunity."
That shift, from managing six brands and fifty-plus products a year to building one brand with intention, is the backdrop for this conversation.
We cover what the outdoor market actually looks like right now, from trade show floors to retailer meetings. We get into tariffs and supply chain, and how the brands that came out ahead were the ones that started diversifying manufacturing before the pressure hit.
One of the more interesting threads is pattern recognition across categories, and what happens when private equity acquires founder-led brands.
"Once that special sauce, once that DNA has really left the business, it gets harder and harder to continue that passion and excitement. The DNA isn't there anymore. It gets sucked out."
Sara has a clear point of view on where brands lose the thread, how innovation is misunderstood, and what real partnership with specialty retail actually requires. She also talks about the BIRDS communication framework, a tool she uses with every team she joins.
"As a leader, you have to have the awareness of who you are talking to and how they receive information. The more you understand who you are talking to and how they operate, the better the business will go. Once you know it, you actually have to do it. That is the second battle."
We close on what Sara would tell someone early in their career.
"Figure out what you are good at. Not what you think is cool, not what everybody else is telling you to do. Chase that."
A conversation about building something real, reading the market honestly, and knowing when to move and when to wait.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:07 Founder Led Pace Shift
04:04 Trade Shows And Market Signals
06:15 Life As a Sport
08:41 People-first Building Blocks
11:02 DIY Mindset No Roadmap
12:33 Athlete Pressure Lessons
15:32 Compassionate Leadership Birds
18:42 Top to Top Retail Strategy
20:47 Tariffs and Supply Diversification
23:36 Pattern Recognition In Categories
26:52 Winning Retailer Confidence
29:28 Partnership with Specialty Retail
30:25 Staying True to Brand
31:29 Compromise Without Dilution
33:10 Redefining Innovation
34:22 Colorways That Sell
35:21 Decide and Ship
37:16 Pleasant Persistence
39:58 Follow Up Early
40:48 Relationships Beat Automation
41:28 Hiring a Sales Agency
42:36 Conviction Without Playbook
47:13 Slow Build Strategy
49:45 Healthier Leadership Mindset
51:53 Entrepreneurship and Expansion
52:35 Fashion Meets Function
57:25 Books That Shape Focus
59:22 Advice for Year Two
01:02:19 Go Until Stopped
01:03:24 A Good Life Vision